Imagine swapping the courtroom for the kitchen; that's exactly what Chantelle Nicholson, the culinary virtuoso at the helm of London's sustainability mecca, Apricity, did. Her remarkable journey from law student to award-winning chef is not just a tale of career transformation, but a stirring testament to the power of passion. In our latest episode, Chantelle opens up about the defining moments that took her from a family orchard in New Zealand to the pinnacle of the UK's food scene, earning a Michelin Green Star for her unyielding commitment to the environment.
Join us as we peel back the layers of Chantelle's professional life, from her early days of learning kitchen basics to managing the intricate dance of a buzzing restaurant. She recounts the delicate balance between creativity and the nitty-gritty of business management, giving us an insider's perspective on the making of Apricity. The insights shared prove invaluable, as Chantelle discusses her visionary approach to work-life balance within the demanding hospitality industry, including her revolutionary decision to limit restaurant operations to five days a week for the well-being of her team.
Curious about the intersection of food and film or how charity work enriches one's professional path? We've got that covered too. Chantelle divulges her experiences consulting on the movie "Burnt" and the joy she finds in giving back through food education initiatives. As we wrap up our engrossing chat, we assure listeners that stories like Chantelle's are what drive us to bring you more inspiring content weekly. So, tune in, feel the passion, and perhaps find the spark that ignites your own career pivot.
Imagine swapping the courtroom for the kitchen; that's exactly what Chantelle Nicholson, the culinary virtuoso at the helm of London's sustainability mecca, Apricity, did. Her remarkable journey from law student to award-winning chef is not just a tale of career transformation, but a stirring testament to the power of passion. In our latest episode, Chantelle opens up about the defining moments that took her from a family orchard in New Zealand to the pinnacle of the UK's food scene, earning a Michelin Green Star for her unyielding commitment to the environment.
Join us as we peel back the layers of Chantelle's professional life, from her early days of learning kitchen basics to managing the intricate dance of a buzzing restaurant. She recounts the delicate balance between creativity and the nitty-gritty of business management, giving us an insider's perspective on the making of Apricity. The insights shared prove invaluable, as Chantelle discusses her visionary approach to work-life balance within the demanding hospitality industry, including her revolutionary decision to limit restaurant operations to five days a week for the well-being of her team.
Curious about the intersection of food and film or how charity work enriches one's professional path? We've got that covered too. Chantelle divulges her experiences consulting on the movie "Burnt" and the joy she finds in giving back through food education initiatives. As we wrap up our engrossing chat, we assure listeners that stories like Chantelle's are what drive us to bring you more inspiring content weekly. So, tune in, feel the passion, and perhaps find the spark that ignites your own career pivot.
3, 2, 1, 0, and liftoff, liftoff, no. Hello and welcome to another episode of the Recipe for Greatness podcast. I'm your host, jay Greenwood, and in this podcast we interview founders behind some of the best hospitality brands in the UK to tease out the knowledge and skills that they've used to get to where they are Today. On the podcast we have Chantal Nicholson, a New Zealand native who has made a significant mark in London's restaurant scene. She is the proud owner of the restaurant Apricity in Mayfair, awarded a Michelin Green Star in 2023 for its commitment to sustainability. Beyond her renowned establishment, she's also celebrated for her previous venture, the Convent Garden restaurant Treadwells, which she also received a Michelin Green star in 2021.
Jay Greenwood:Chantal's journey from studying lords becoming a multi-award winning chef and a leading female voice in the UK's hospitality industry is nothing short of inspiring. Her advocacy for seasonality, sustainability and a veg forward cooking philosophy is evident from her work and from her cookbook Planted. She's also an independent board member for ReLondon and a food council member for City Harvest. We discuss Chantal's remarkable journey from being a trained lawyer to a chef, her innovative approach to the culinary arts and her vision for a more sustainable and inclusive future in the industry. So please sit back and enjoy my conversation with Chantal Nicholson. Chantal, welcome to the podcast. As I mentioned before, it's such an honour and privilege to have you on, so I'm so thankful and I wanted to jump straight in and go back in time to you in New Zealand and understand the motivation for you entering a cooking competition that was run by Gordon Ramsey. So I think it'd be helpful for the audience if you set some context about what you're actually doing at the time when you entered this competition and sort of explain what motivated you to enter.
Chantelle Nicholson:Sure. Well, it was probably almost about 20 years ago now, I would say so I had moved to Wellington Wellington, capital city of New Zealand. I think I'd been there for maybe about a year and a half, um, and I had come from Dunedin, which is where I went to university, um, and I had finished my law and business degree. But actually the last year of that, I was working full-time at a restaurant because I, partway through my degree, decided that actually I really loved food and cooking. Well, I'd always loved food, that was a given. But I just felt that I had this kind of itch that needed to be scratched with cooking and I just felt that what I was studying wasn't necessarily kind of I didn't feel much excitement or fizz for it. So I had just decided to, yeah, I think, in my third year of university, approach a local cafe that I loved and said, look, I've got no experience, but I'm looking for a job and I have, you know, love to cook. And they said, well, we're just about to advertise for a weekend cook. So if that's, you know, if you want, we're happy to give you a go. So that's kind of where it all began.
Chantelle Nicholson:Then fast forward to, yeah, 2004. And obviously it was cooking. And then my mum had said to me well, you know, you've spent quite a lot of time and effort in getting these, you know doing these degrees, so just go and give it a go. If you don't like it, then at least you know. But at the moment you don't have the, you know, the full scope to be able to make that informed decision.
Chantelle Nicholson:So I dutifully listened to her and that's how I ended up in Wellington and I was working at the time for the banking ombudsman, so doing a bit of kind of banking law, consumer rights kind of things. And my favourite food magazine had just arrived in the post, which is called Cuisine Magazine, and I was flicking through the pages and saw this advert, for I think it was called Chef Search and it was a cooking competition and to enter it you had to submit a three-course menu with recipes. And because I just loved thinking about food all the time, I was like I'm just going to do this because it was a good distraction from kind of the yeah, not so motivating and interesting work I was doing, to be honest. So kind of sent that off, didn't really think anything of it, and then got a phone call, yeah, a couple of months later, actually just saying well, look, you've made it to the semifinal. I think there was 12 of us or something.
Chantelle Nicholson:So, yeah, kind of get ready, at which time I kind of had a little minor freak out and thought well, I haven't been in the kitchen for you know a very, very long time, um, so, yeah, that was. That was kind of how it all began, and I'm right in thinking you entered this competition.
Jay Greenwood:I'm right, you. You didn't win the competition, but a fellow New Zealand chef, josh Emmett, who was um there I was he judging or watching over but he approached you after and offered you a job. And I'm curious what was it about you or your approach in that competition that made you stand out to Josh and think you know, this is the sort of person who would be a great person to bring on to his job back in London, right?
Chantelle Nicholson:Yeah, I mean that's how it kind of happened. He just said to me that, like it was kind of after the final and he just said look, there's a job for you in London whenever you want it. And I guess, you know, I think, knowing how there is kind of reputation around kind of, I guess kind of Antipodeans and especially New Zealanders, that we just kind of we're just kind of up for anything and we just kind of go into things and just get stuck in, and I think maybe that's you know, actually, when I turned up at the Savoy Grill there was already probably I think at one point there was four of us New Zealanders in the brigade. Um, and I think probably from Josh's perspective, it was just more of a. You know, it's kind of a, yeah, a safe pair of hands that would kind of show up every day and actually you know, kind of listen and just just kind of get on with it really and you mentioned there the sort of uh, new Zealand, sort of give it a go attitude.
Jay Greenwood:But you meant you're in doing this. You know career in law, you've entered this competition and I'm right thinking it was only a few weeks, maybe even a month, where you then finished that competition and then you moved to london to start this job. Did you take time to think about you know all my decisions, what I'm going to do, or is it just hop on the plane and head over there and see how it goes?
Chantelle Nicholson:no, yeah, it literally wasn't much thinking, which I'm actually quite um happy about now, because I think if I'd thought about it too much and actually understood, like what I was getting into, I probably would. I probably would have been too scared, um, so, my, my naivety at that point, I think it stood me in really good stead. So I just kind of thought, well, you know, it's what, like New Zealand is there's a. You know, it's quite a normal thing to go and spend two years in London or in the UK, because it's quite easy to get a visa and it's just kind of what a lot of people do, probably at that the age I was, at that point in time.
Chantelle Nicholson:Um, so I thought, oh, I'll just kind of do it now, because why not? Um, and I had some friends over here. So I just thought, well, you know, I'll just apply for my visa. And it all kind of worked out that I could move into a friend's room that was just moving out. So everything kind of just fell into place really easily, which is why it just yeah, it just kind of happened, I think.
Jay Greenwood:And do you remember your first sort of days and weeks at the Savoy Grill, because I guess the kitchens were notorious back then for sort of long hours, very hard working environment? Did you experience that when you first came over?
Chantelle Nicholson:yeah, I mean it was, it was. I was like a fish out of water actually. Um, I mean, we were even just turning up on my first day and just probably looking really disheveled and wearing kind of bright red trainers, because I didn't have kitchen shoes, um and yeah, so I kind of like straight and went from working seven and a half hour days in front of a computer in an office to doing kind of 18 hour days in a kitchen, which was, yeah, quite something to get adjusted to. I think it was mainly my feet. My feet were just incredibly sore for the first few kind of weeks, but after that point it just like everything was so new and so interesting that it was just like this is just amazing. Um, and it was, it was, you know, josh was there who I kind of knew, so there was that kind of support mechanism there, um, and I had friends here as well, so it just kind of. I guess it was kind of an easy launch into it, but for the kind of hours, I guess.
Jay Greenwood:And how formative was that time to, I guess, forming your work ethic? Because I think I mentioned to you before, like the amount of things you've done, achieved, you're almost one of those people that fits 25 hours into a 24-hour day. So how formative was that period to establishing that work ethic? Was that sort of way you sort of really nailed it down?
Chantelle Nicholson:yeah, I mean, I think I'd always, I'd always worked from a very young age, um, whether it was in my family's like seeing a family's orchard, or I had a. Um, yeah, I spent summers picking flowers and packing flowers and working in an office every day after school. So I kind of always had that ethic of you know, kind of like you know just working to get things done rather than just kind of drowning tools. But I think in terms of my, my cookery, in particular, my cooking skills, that was where kind of all that base was really solidified, I guess.
Jay Greenwood:And you've worked with some talented chefs we mentioned there Josh and Matt as your time in your career. Has there been any particular people that you've picked up, any philosophies or approaches to really having a successful career as a chef?
Chantelle Nicholson:Well, I think you kind of take a bit of everything and everyone as you go along the journey, because I've met so many people, um along the way and whether that's chefs or um business people or suppliers or operators or you know, there's just so many things that you kind of learn from um, and I think it's actually also it's really important learning what you don't want to do as much as what you do want to do and who you want to be. And I think that's the beauty of kind of cooking is that there's so much just to take inspiration from and to learn from that you just never stop, and I think that's what I love about it is it's kind of ongoing thing that you can be like right, yeah, I've done that, what's next? It's this kind of ongoing thing that you can be like right, yeah, I've done that, what's next? It's just this constant kind of ability to learn and taste and experience new things.
Jay Greenwood:And your roles changed a bit through your career. Because you went to when you Treadwells opened.
Chantelle Nicholson:You went there from an operational side of things rather than as a chef. Is that right? Yeah. So I opened. Actually, when I opened the Gilbert Scott too, I was the general manager, so I kind of came, came, mostly came out of the kitchen, um, to do that, to learn, yeah, to run, run the business side of it really and then, so as Treadwells grew, you then became, you know, the owner, the operator of that.
Jay Greenwood:How formative was that time of actually having both the experience previous as chef, but then also as operator. How well did that stand you to, sort of you know, keeping as a successful restaurant and moving forward yeah, I think for me it was.
Chantelle Nicholson:I kind of went back into the kitchen in 2015 in treadwells just for what I thought was a temporary kind of you know, steady the ship and employ a head chef, um. But actually what I kind of learned was that I can, actually I could do, I could run a business and cook from the kitchen, but I couldn't run a business and cook not being in the kitchen, um. So it kind of was decided for me in some ways that actually, you know, I could sit there on my laptop in the past, do a bit of service and then, you know, do everything else I needed to do, um.
Jay Greenwood:So I think for me it kind of I guess, yeah, kind of really showed me that that could coexist together and, looking back, do you think that's quite a, I guess, key attribute to have as becoming a, an owner and operator, to actually have the experience of both sides, to actually, you know, run something successfully. Or do you think you could just have one skill and then, you know, just sort of see how the other one goes?
Chantelle Nicholson:I think it's um, I kind of say sometimes I feel it's a bit of a, it's a double-edged sword, because it's great that I can do all aspects, but actually that's also can be quite then overbearing, because if you can, then you kind of do sometimes. So I think my advice would be to you know kind of, but I love all of it, so that's, I can't really, you know, I can't really choose one particular part, but I think if it's people that do just really love either the creative cooking side or just really love the business side, then it's finding the, the person or the people around you that then complement that and have the skills that you don't to be able to move it forward yeah, I think I read that you you even love spreadsheets.
Jay Greenwood:Is that really true? You even like doing the spreadsheet side of things.
Chantelle Nicholson:I love a spreadsheet. My life's organized well, my life. But I yeah, it's kind of how my brain works. I like kind of having tabs and lots of things going on in the sheets and stuff amazing.
Jay Greenwood:Now I want to talk on to your current restaurant, apricity um, named most sustainable in london. So I read that this restaurant was sort of the coming together of sort of well, I guess, was it the coming together of all your previous experiences, because I think you said it was like Treadwell 2.0. Was that kind of the real inspiration for this restaurant?
Chantelle Nicholson:I think it kind of. For me it's like a kind of come full circle, I think, um, growing up in New Zealand being surrounded by incredible produce and just really, I guess, showing respect to the land, to the people, um, to nature, um, and it was during it was basically during COVID actually that this all kind of dwelled on me, that actually, yeah, I kind of came off the mouse wheel, so to speak, of the treadmill for the first time in you know kind of 17 years or so. At that point, um, and just felt that actually, in order for myself to move forward, that I really wanted to create something that was, yeah, kind of had all those aspects and was a lot more kind of purpose-led, rather than just being a vehicle that was there to make money. Um, it was actually much bigger than that and it was very much about people, was very much about land, place and about nature. So for me it was how can I kind of meld all those into one and actually make a business out of it and make it, make it work?
Jay Greenwood:and one thing I've been thinking about is the fine dining, especially your background, sort of Mitch and stars. You have the idea of perfection and that's sort of the pedestal that you kind of look everything. But then you also then have the sustainability angle. Do you find there, sometimes in conflict with each other, or how have you managed to sort of keep that fine dining aspect but manage that sustainability? Is it being hard to do or have you just somehow built that into the process?
Chantelle Nicholson:yeah, I think sometimes there are certain contradictions with it, um, but I don't think that there should be, and I guess from my perspective it's very much that that food shouldn't be perfect, um, and that we need to embrace that imperfection, because I think and I think they've done it well with wine, because I think they've kind of really embraced that notion of terroir and what the soil is like and what, what the different elements are. But we haven't quite done that with food and I think we expect this consistency and, as you say, kind of perfection, that everything looks the same, tastes the same, and actually we don't want it to do that. I don't want it to do that. I want to be able to celebrate, you know, whether it's a carrot that comes from yorkshire or one that comes from kent, um, or you know a beef, a cow that's grazed, different pastures, so their butter, that you know, if you make butter from their cream it tastes different to one that's from a different part.
Chantelle Nicholson:And I think that you know, sometimes it is pigeonholing things to kind of say that they need to be so perfect and consistent, um, and actually then you then lose the whole. You know the whole sense of where it's from um and who's been involved in that process and you know the land by the nature. All those sorts of things, I think we just yeah, they kind of become forgotten and kind of pushed aside, whereas actually I think they should be the things that are celebrated the most amazing and I read as well with your suppliers.
Jay Greenwood:Instead of that sort of like demanding approach where it's like I need this, I need that. It's kind of you say to them what have you got and what's best? Like what, what's the good stuff you have? I was thinking how amazing this, but I was thinking that must be such an operational difficulty to every day to sort of have to, you know, sit down and reevaluate the menu and be creative. Is it hard to do or is it just something naturally that you guys have just built into the again, just designing the menu for the restaurant?
Chantelle Nicholson:yeah, I mean it's not that short-lived.
Chantelle Nicholson:So I think there are, you know, there's kind of. Normally there is a bit of time, um, because things unless you're kind of between seasons, when things just suddenly start and stop, um, but from our side it's very much, yeah, just again that sense of what, what's around, what's in season, what's what's good, um, versus just kind of creating something that's formats down the line that we don't really know how the world's going to be or how we're going to feel, all those sorts of things. I think for me, food's very present and it's very um of the moment, and I think sometimes, if you get too far ahead of yourself, you kind of lose that, that magic of it and you lose the ability of kind of seasons and taste and flavor and all the things that actually make food great, um, so it's just something that we kind of got into a rhythm with. There's certain things that are staples that we know kind of can come into us, but then it's just, yeah, we flex between between the other things and it just, you know, it keeps us.
Jay Greenwood:I think it keeps us more innovative and more creative really and I think I was really listening to about some of the just how much like no wastage and stuff, and it goes as far as um, I think some of the the stuff that you'll do is sort of even take, say, some beet, some beetroot, and make a cocktail like a beetroot Negroni and things like that. Can you speak about some of the sort of how far you go with actually making sure they're sustainable and keep waste to such a minimum?
Chantelle Nicholson:Yeah, I mean we take it as far as we can. Eve, my head shift's been making some because we had I bought a load of Kentish cob nuts. I actually bought them from my farmer's market because that was the only place I could get big bulk amounts of them. So we've got we had kind of this, you know huge amounts of cob nuts that we were cracking ourselves. So we held these shells and she's like we must see how to make something with these shells. So she's made a infused, it's kind of some liquid to make kombucha. So it's like of some liquid to make kombucha.
Chantelle Nicholson:So it's like every, we kind of go to the nth degree that we can until it gets to a point where it's like, no, either that's disgusting or just it's just impossible. Um, but I think, yeah, for us it's it's kind of like the our food waste bin is the very, very last resort. Um, and I'm even, yeah, in conversations with different um kind of industries as to you know, is there someone that can take our scallop shells? And I've talked to someone who potentially will make them into a ceramic glaze, same with our kind of bones. So it's like all these things like it's just trying to find a you know, an end use for them. That's not a bin, basically, whether it's a food bin, but either way, it's just trying to eke out that every last, last piece of it really oh, that's so incredible and one of your passions.
Jay Greenwood:We've been talking about the sustainability, but it's also education in the industry, right. So I guess there is that stereotype of what a career is like in sort of the kitchen and it's very much. You know, the perception is long hours antisocial, but you've kind of challenged that at your kitchen. Do you sort of talk about sort of your ethos and how you've approached it?
Chantelle Nicholson:yeah, I mean, it's a very different landscape than it was when I first began. Um, you know, it was kind of, I guess probably our average weeks were about 80 hours, 80 to 100 hours. Um, so obviously the only you know you kind of of, I guess probably our average weeks were about 80 hours, 80 to 100 hours. Um, so obviously the only you know you kind of days off, when you had them, were just recovering um, so for me it was very much how can we kind of shift that mod, shift that model, model um, and just changing so it is. You know you can be a chef and also have a life and also enjoy other things and not be so tired on your days off that you can be a chef and also have a life and also enjoy other things and not be so tired on your days off that you can't do anything. Um, so it was quite.
Chantelle Nicholson:Yeah, I was kind of quite strict in myself before we opened a presbytery that it would be very different, um, and that we'd only open five days a week, because that really facilitates an ability to kind of stop um and it's. You know I kind of talk about everyone else and and wanting to create something different, but also for me it was actually myself and by just having two days a week where the restaurants close, it's not on the back of my mind, it's not constantly thinking, oh, something could go wrong, or you know, because otherwise it is always. There's always just that little um yeah, that little kind of fizz in the back of your mind. So that was part of it, and then the other part was just very much about, um, yeah, trying to make it a really a place that actually allowed a life outside of it as well.
Chantelle Nicholson:Um, so we don't have any early starts.
Chantelle Nicholson:I mean, the earliest we kind of on a tuesday, we'll, we'll start in the kitchen at nine, um, just because we need to really bring everything back into the kitchen that we've kind of taken out on a Saturday night for the closure, but most of the days it's 10 that we start in the kitchen.
Chantelle Nicholson:We also have a curfew in the restaurant, which was born from COVID, which was the best thing ever when we had to get everyone out of the restaurants at 10 o'clock, because it meant that everyone got home on time and, you know, you weren't kind of waiting for one table that was sitting in the corner, meaning that you know, kind of 14 people couldn't go home because they were just sitting there having a conversation, having a glass of water. So we kind of try and, yeah, suggest that everyone's out of the restaurant by 11, which means the team can all get public transport home and are all pretty much out of the building by 12 o'clock at night, um, which isn't the norm kind of in a lot of places. So, yeah, it's really about just trying to think of how we can challenge the norms really and do you ever have any conflicts in your mind?
Jay Greenwood:because I guess you look back at your own career and you sort of you know you've had that start of point where it was hardcore, a lot of work ethic, where you know, well, I think I had Thomas on last week who was saying to me about how he works you said the 80 to 100 hours and he would then be so tired on his days off they'd come back to his family and just sleep all day so he was actually just non-existent. But he, you know, there's that time where it's of that formative period, of that work ethic with learning and stuff. But then, you know, do you ever have that conflict of thinking well, that's an essential part of growing and becoming a chef, or do you think that's just, you know, the idea, the illusion that but that's actually not the case. You can have balance and still excel.
Chantelle Nicholson:I think you can have balance and still excel. I think there is. I think, with any job you know I was talking to this about, with different people in different industries and with any any people that you know have, um, you know, kind of really want to have aspirations or want to be, you know, whatever they deem as success. You know they all put in a lot more hours than a 40-hour week. Um, whether it's, you know, whatever industry, so me it's very much about what you want to put in you will get out and I guess from my perspective, it was more like you know what I probably learned double in that timeframe than people learn now, because I was there double the amount of time. So I was exposing myself to a lot more learning because I was there, it was in front of me.
Chantelle Nicholson:I'm not saying that's the right way to go, but from my perspective it was. You know I enjoyed it and I actually, you know there were times I didn't enjoy, but most of the time I just felt like it was such a great experience to learn and on the times where you had those kind of great days where service was just went really well and it just, you know, the days just just flew by. It wasn't like a slog to kind of be there and think, oh my gosh, still got another four hours to go. It was like, oh my gosh, like that's that peak time. It's like when the adrenaline's kicking in. So you know, I think with if you were sitting in front of a computer for 18 hours a day, that's a slightly different story than kind of being on your feet and moving and having like, um yeah, just having things thrown at you and just a bit of excitement and adrenaline to be able to kind of keep you going through it yeah I have to say people say like, why would anyone be a chef?
Jay Greenwood:but the thrill of that service, you know when everything's coming through. Um, I think thomas as well said last week, there's just no better. I guess maybe it takes a certain person, but there's nothing more exciting than that service and everything's going well and you can do that and it's enjoyable for doing those like 15 hours right yeah, absolutely.
Chantelle Nicholson:Like you know, being a chef you get to bring joy to people like and you see the results of your work on a like daily basis, and there's not that many other jobs you can do in the world that actually are that kind of present and can bring so much to some people.
Jay Greenwood:And is there I mean being who you are, the career you've had? You must have people reach out, maybe for advice about careers. Is there any sort of things you say to people who are considering a career as a chef? Maybe it's even women who are thinking about making a career as a chef. Is there any sort of advice you give them at all?
Chantelle Nicholson:Yeah, I mean, I think for me it's like, actually, whatever you do, like if you're kind of contemplating it, just do it Like don't even think about it. I think that's my biggest thing is just don't overthink things, just get in there and do it, and every skill that you learn will not be wasted, even if you decide not to be a chef. Everything you learn, you've learned and you've got that you know. Whether it's cooking at home, whether it's whatever it is, whether it's time management, whether it's organization, whether it's teamwork, whether it is actually cooking, all of those skills that you learn are never going to be wasted. They're always going to be beneficial in some way. Um, and I think it's just as I said, there's no other career path or role that you can do. That's just so of the moment and actually gets to encompass a lot of things that you know potentially.
Chantelle Nicholson:That's just so of the moment and actually gets to encompass a lot of things that you know, potentially, if you love food, you love wine, you love people and kind of the buzz of hospitality, then it's literally the perfect kind of role and I just feel that it's it's kind of seen as being a bit you know, a bit less of a job than something that's a bit more, um, you know, corporate.
Jay Greenwood:But actually I feel that you know the breadth and depth of experiences I've had and people I've met and things I've tried and places I've traveled is, you know, I wouldn't have done that if I'd stuck with law yeah, I was just about to touch on this as well, because you know it's quite a cool job when it can be right, because I was going to say some of the things you've done, the places you've explored, are absolutely incredible and I think, just to give people highlights, like one of the parts, one of the jobs that you sort of helped with was consulting on the film Burn with Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller, right, and how did that come around?
Chantelle Nicholson:And I guess that's just one of, I guess, so many experiences that you've had of just working hard in that career Now you're rewarded with all these amazing cool experiences you get to be a part of, right, oh, absolutely, I mean there's just there's so many that I could spend hours just telling you all the cool places I've been and great people I've met and experiences I've had.
Chantelle Nicholson:And I think it is just, you know, for me it was just kind of getting my head down and working, um.
Chantelle Nicholson:I think now there's a lot of different things in the mix with social media, and you know that didn't exist when I first started cooking, um, so there's a lot of things in the mix now, but I think it's just basically, yeah, for me it's almost that sense of just staying true to what you do and then you know also being, I mean, I kind of call it the hustle, and sometimes it's, um, you know you have to put yourself out there because a lot of us don't have other people to do that for them, um, so sometimes it's, you know, moments that are and I always make the differentiation of being out of your comfort zone and being versus being uncomfortable, and it's like there's lots of things that I do, probably on a daily basis, that I'm out of my comfort zone, um, but I'm not in uncomfortable situations and I think sometimes people don't differentiate between the two and actually it's like it's good to be out of your comfort zone, because if you, if you never get out of it, you're always going to stay in it and nothing you know, you'll never get to see or do new experiences and apart from sort of the cool projects you work on, you also spend a lot of time giving back with some charity work and, like I say, you fit so much stuff into your schedule and things.
Jay Greenwood:So how important is the sort of like the charity work inside part of your, I guess, career now? Is it sort of one of the key aspects now that you're sort of trying to get focus on?
Chantelle Nicholson:Yeah, it is because I think there's also, you know, there are ways that I can support that. Actually, you know, it's not a huge amount of my time or it just means you know what I can actually bring to the table, for some of these charities is kind of quite priceless, and for me too, it's like actually, yeah, kind of giving back for opportunities I've had. I would really like others to have them as well. So if there's ways that I can support that and help, then that for me that's yeah, it's just kind of the full circle and I think, having a business with purpose. If you're not, if there's no kind of charitable part to that, then it kind of it's something that's missing.
Chantelle Nicholson:And for me, you know, I would love to have time to do more of it. But I think with what I do, it's very much trying to. You know, a lot of it's with kids and kids' education, with food, because I think there is a disconnect in this country with those sorts of things. So it's really trying to. I guess. Yeah, leave, you know, leave the world in a better place than what it was.
Jay Greenwood:That's amazing. I want to move on to a few quickfire questions as well, um, because the audience would love to know a few things about you, about what you like to eat and drink, maybe. So I'm gonna ask you is there a favorite restaurant you have in london?
Chantelle Nicholson:so probably my favorite would be um, a thai restaurant in King's Cross called Super One. He's also a friend who is the owner and chef. His food is just packed full of flavour and freshness. The team's always so welcoming and it's like you are sitting in his living room having dinner and it's just so tasty. It just kind of transports you back to Thailand as well. For anyone that's's been there, it's just like the flavors are insane.
Jay Greenwood:Oh, that sounds like my favorite kind of restaurant. Um, is there a favorite place to drink, or a pub at all comes to mind?
Chantelle Nicholson:um, I'm very lucky I live in angel and I've got lots of great pubs around me, um, and yeah, exactly so, there's kind of many, many of them. Um, there's a cute little one called the old china hand and kind of just down by x with market. Um, there's the three johns, which also has kind of a good selection, and then I think something very, yeah, a bit more um or special treat would be the connoisseur bar ah, very nice, very nice, um.
Jay Greenwood:Do you have a favorite burger place?
Chantelle Nicholson:do you know what? I don't, and I think I need to get one there'll be some.
Jay Greenwood:Some of my friends are actually burger obsessed. They'll be like oh no, how can you not have a favorite burger place? Uh, pizza at all. Any favourite pizza places?
Chantelle Nicholson:no so the best pizza I've ever had in my life was actually in Copenhagen oh, okay at a restaurant called Beast.
Jay Greenwood:It was just insane what was the restaurant called?
Chantelle Nicholson:it was just yeah, I've done Beast Beast. Okay, so B-A-E-S-T and it just the. Yeah, the crust is just like chewy and yeah, I just can't describe it. It was just so good amazing, honestly.
Jay Greenwood:Well, that is, um, I'm taking up too much time, so it's perfect place to uh lead the interview. And again, I want to say thank you so much one for uh coming on this podcast because you're so amazing. Two for just being such an amazing person in hospitality doing all the amazing things you're doing. And just, yeah, coming on share your journey because I think it's going to be so valuable so many people.
Jay Greenwood:So, yeah, thank you so much for coming on and giving us your time no, it's been a pleasure as always, guys, thank you so much for listening, really appreciate the support and if you guys like it and you're enjoying what you're listening to, please like and subscribe and write a review. We'd really appreciate it Again. We'll be back doing this weekly and, yeah, if you want to know more about starting a food business, head to wwwjgreenwoodcom. But, guys, as always, thank you and be great.